I like that approach! People here just have no clue, no culture, and no decency. Yesteday I was attacked on the beach by a tiny dog. FYI, it is illegal in this county to bring an animal onto any public beach, and it is illegal to not have direct control over your animal if it is not on your property. When the sick looking creature tried to jump onto me in what I suppose was an attempt at friendliness, I jumped out of its way (BTW I cut my toe during that maneuver). Did I hear an apology from the human trash that owned the canine slave? No! Instead they started making fun of me being scared of their "big" dog. I obviously didn't handle the situation the right way. Next time I'll kick the little rabies carrier out of my way as soon as it threatens to touch me. You live and learn.

Others on my list, but I won't live there the whole year for several reasons and these are countries I actually visited.

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Very interesting list. I grew up in Vienna, and it is an exceedingly interesting place. The tap water is far better than most any bottled water, the city itself is big enough to offer almost anything your heart desires, yet small and well organized enough for your teenage daughters to walk any alley at any time of the night. The architecture is almost as beautiful as Prague, the food is excellent if you like sugar, the air quality is better than many rural areas elsewhere. They have quite a few excellent people at their universities, plus education is almost free. The natives are not too friendly on the surface, but if you can't get used to that, there is an ample supply of foreigners. The one thing that might be a problem is the weather. What the typical American would call winter lasts approximately from September through May (temperaturewise), and the sun doesn't come out too much at all. In July and August it can get really hot and stagnant. Ah, and I forgot to mention: You don't need a car. Public transportation is almost perfect. (I think they still shut down most of it from midnight to 5 a.m., but that might have changed.)

Never been to Canada, anyone care to elaborate?

Regarding other European cities, I don't quite see why you would pick Geneva over Paris, but then again, I don't really understand what it is about Paris that fascinates people.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't notice you had Paris on your list as well.

The Canaries are indeed beautiful, but I'm not sure there is much you can do there except hang out on the beach and "party".

Thailand sounds interesting. I have never been anywhere near it. How is the food?

What about great places to live that allow for traders to emmigrate without a lot of hassle? (I'd think only expats who are actually trading in the country would really know the answer to this as locals tend to be oblivious to the hassles emigre's go through.)

I've been investigating Singapore. Seems one can move there but they need to form a corporation to trade through ... But Singapore provides good tax incentives to trade from there, and for trading businesses, so this has its pluses and minuses. Seems the government is trying to promote entreprenures (because for some time they've all been leaving) and the gov't professes to recognize trading as a profession. Also quality of life is quite high, though the level of gov. control can be oppressive to some ...

I'd be keen on moving to Australia but I understand it is a hassle for foreigners, particularly those without traditional 'employment,' to just pick up and live there. Understand there are eggregious restrictions on foreigners owning property and the like.

Any other American expats out there that want to pitch their favorite country to trade from?

I like that approach! People here just have no clue, no culture, and no decency. Yesteday I was attacked on the beach by a tiny dog. FYI, it is illegal in this county to bring an animal onto any public beach, and it is illegal to not have direct control over your animal if it is not on your property. When the sick looking creature tried to jump onto me in what I suppose was an attempt at friendliness, I jumped out of its way (BTW I cut my toe during that maneuver). Did I hear an apology from the human trash that owned the canine slave? No! Instead they started making fun of me being scared of their "big" dog. I obviously didn't handle the situation the right way. Next time I'll kick the little rabies carrier out of my way as soon as it threatens to touch me. You live and learn.

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I don't know where you live Lobster (assuming east coast) but I can tell you that having lived in Canada (40 years Montreal-Toronto) and now Seattle (7 years) and having travelled the world frequently (Europe, Caribean, Mexico, Asia) any move away from the Pacific Northwest USA would be a substantial downgrade in my standard of living, quality of medical care etc...

I know the US is not cheap, but you do get what you pay for.
Canada is taxed heavily and healthcare sucks like you would not believe. Europe is riddled with strikes and socialism. Mexico is still poverty stricken, and Asia, well, no way!

A tiny dog got you all upset? Wait till you see what's in store for you in Europe and elsewhere! How about that dog being at the restaurant table next to you? Or stepping in dog crap on the sidewalk. Or eating that dog in Asia! How about being mugged in a foreign language?

I could go on...but in a nutshell the USA is the best, most civilized place in the world.